House That Built Me
by Lynnlee22
Summary: Billy and Phyllis walk down memory lane through a different set of eyes.
1. Chapter 1

"But it's not straight!" Alexandra said with an exasperated sigh. She glanced over at the young man who stood beside her. Even though he was likely older than her, she had no problem taking charge. This had been her idea and, under her watch, she'd make sure things were perfect.

"It may not be perfect, but…" he began.

"Then make it perfect. Please," she added, her voice curt but not unfriendly. She flashed a smile as she watched him obediently trudge off to correct the mistake.

"You are every bit your mother's daughter."

Alexandra turned around. "Hi, Uncle Jack," she smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so glad you could come."

"I wouldn't miss this." He looked around the room, his eyes widening in surprise. "Sweetheart, you planned all this yourself?"

She nodded as she looked around the room, enjoying the feeling of accomplishment.

Jack nodded. "I'm very impressed…especially knowing you've managed to keep all this a secret. That must have been tough…especially with your mother. I know she doesn't like feeling like she's not in on the joke."

Alexandra nodded. "Yeah, she was a bit tricky, but luckily she and Daddy are pretty busy with work right now, so both of them bought the story about planning the dance for homecoming. That gave me the perfect excuse to come down here and work on getting the food and decorations lined up, and since they've been working late some nights, I was able to sneak some photos from the albums without them knowing."

"Well, I certainly hope they know how lucky they are to have such a thoughtful daughter. Not too many 14 year old girls would spend their free time planning their parents an anniversary party."

"Well they should," she said quickly. "Especially if their parents are like mine. They've always put me first and I want them to know how much I appreciate everything they've done to make sure I had everything I needed…to make sure I had a good life."

"This should certainly do that," Jack remarked, still a little awestruck at the magnitude of the event the young girl in front of him had been able to pull off. He shouldn't be surprised though, he realized as he looked at her. Her attitude, her determination, her spunk—it was as if a young Phyllis stood right in front of him.

"Everyone else is coming right?" Alexandra said, a hint of concern in her voice.

Jack nodded. "Absolutely. Ashley, Abby, and Summer were all riding together and they left just after I did. Jill and Colin were flying in. I actually got a text from her about thirty minutes ago. They were just dropping their luggage off at the hotel and then they were heading over." He paused for a moment, trying to determine if he'd left anyone out. "What about Daniel, Lucy, and Avery…they making the trip out?"

Alexandra sighed. "Daniel is. Lucy has something going on that she absolutely can't miss." She rolled her eyes before shaking her head. She couldn't worry about that. "Aunt Avery is in the middle of a court case and I feel bad because she really wanted to come, but she's coming for Christmas this year, so at least we'll get to see her then."

Jack nodded. "That'll be nice. Do you need me to help you do anything while I'm here? Any last minute details?"

She thought for a moment, her brain rolling over the mental to do list. "I do need to check on the slideshow," she said, gesturing over to the laptop and screen. "I want to make sure all the pictures run through and show up on the screen okay. If you could just load them and check to make sure I don't need to reconfigure anything, that would be a great help."

Jack nodded, heading off to his assignment.

Alexandra stood back, surveying the beautifully decorated room that would soon be filled with family, friends and, most importantly, her precious parents.

* * *

She smiled as his warm hands touched her bare skin. "You have one job, Billy Abbott," she whispered, looking back at his reflection in the mirror. "Hook the necklace."

His lips brushed her neck as he snaked his arms around her waist and smiled back at her. "You can't blame a guy for trying," he whispered.

Phyllis turned around to face him. "I most certainly do blame you. We are supposed to meet your brother in.." She looked down at her watch… "thirty minutes…and that's only going to happen if there's no traffic." She reached up for a quick kiss. "Grab your coat. We've got to go."

Billy sat down on the bed, grabbing her arm and gently tugging her towards him.

She sighed as he pulled her onto his lap. One look at his face and she knew she couldn't be angry with him. His eyes were her weakness and he knew it. "Billy," she breathed, laughing softly, "We can't be late."

"We can be a little late…"

"No..No we can't. It's already awkward enough isn't it?"

Billy stilled. "I thought you were okay with things." He moved to look into her eyes. "Did he say something to you or do something? Because I'll talk to him…I really thought we were…"

"No..No..Nothing like that. It's just…I don't know. Without our anniversary coming up, it just feels weird that he wants to take us out to dinner, don't you think?"

Billy shrugged. "Maybe he wants to give us a gift or maybe he really does want to show us that he's really okay with everything now. You know Alexandra says he's seeing someone."

Phyllis brightened. "Really?" She stood, before turning back to Billy. "Wait a minute, how does our 14 year old daughter know that her uncle is seeing someone?"

"I don't know," he laughed. "Apparently they e-mail about life and stuff," Billy threw his hands up in mocking air quotes. "You know our daughter…she's a conversational wizard."

Phyllis smiled at the mention of Alexandra. At only 14, she could already see traces of an amazing young woman while still getting glimpses of the sweet little girl she cherished.

"Speaking of our daughter," Billy questioned, standing up and beginning to walk from the room and down the stairs alongside his wife. "She planning that dance again tonight?"

"Yeah…apparently tonight is the last night of setup though, so hopefully we can actually see her some after this."

Billy nodded in agreement. It might be strange to miss a teenage girl's presence in a house, but Alexandra wasn't your typical teenager. From the time she was born, they had never shielded her from reality. She knew the truth—even if it wasn't pretty. They didn't want to lie to her, not about how they became a family, not about why other people weren't around, not about anything. She got the honest truth, not the polite, kid-friendly version.

There were moments where he was fairly certain they'd both questioned that decision—fearing it would make her cynical or afraid to trust, but it had in fact created something entirely different. A bond had been formed within their family—a connection that none of them expected. Alexandra was the miracle they'd never imagined they'd be blessed and they gave her everything they had in return. They both promised her and each other that, no matter what happened, she'd never doubt how much they loved each other or how much they loved her.

* * *

"There he is," Phyllis pointed, taking Billy's hand as he helped her out of the car.

Jack stepped over quickly, glancing behind him to ensure nothing was in sight. "Hey you two…I was beginning to get a little worried."

"Sorry," Billy offered, "It's my fault. I couldn't decide on which shoes to wear."

Phyllis laughed nervously, standing aside as Jack hugged his brother and relaxing a little as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. "It's good to see you, Jack," she said softly.

"You too..I was glad to two were available tonight. I wasn't sure you would be…thought you might be off celebrating the big day."

Billy glanced over at Phyllis, not sure how she'd want him to respond. "Well, we've both been a little crazy with work lately and Aly's been busy with school, so we thought it might be nice to just spend some down time at home…celebrate that way..something simple."

Jack nodded. "Simple is always good, and that daughter of yours is certainly something to celebrate." He paused for a moment. "Why don't we head on inside..it's getting a little chilly out here tonight isn't it?"

Phyllis felt herself relaxing. Jack seemed totally normal. Maybe Billy was right…maybe this was about showing that he'd moved on. Jack opened the door and stepped aside for Billy and Phyllis to walk through. Billy stepped in, his body moving forward slowly before stopping. His head turned back towards her as he slowly pulled her closer to him, her eyes now able to take in the entire room.

The entire country club reception area was filled with white light, each table adorned with fresh flowers, the tables themselves filled with family and friends.

Phyllis stood still, her mouth slightly agape. She looked up at Billy, "Did you?"

He shook his head. "I didn't…I didn't know anything about this. I'd love to take credit for it, but.."

Jack stepped up behind them. "Actually," he whispered, "the credit goes to her."

Alexandra walked over slowly, her green eyes shimmering with tears just as her mother's did. "I wanted to do something special for the two of you," she said softly. "I know you've been busy with work and I knew you wouldn't really have time to plan anything for yourselves this year, so I put this together to thank you for always being there for me."

"I don't know what to say," Phyllis muttered, in absolute shock that anyone so amazingly kind and compassionate could come from her. She looked up at Billy. "I…"

Billy shook his head. "This is amazing," he whispered, leaning down to hug her, as he sniffed back tears of his own. "So…there's no homecoming dance? This is what you've been working on?"

Alexandra smiled. "Yeah…I've been coming down here to get everything lined up." She glanced between the two of them. "Do you like it?"

" sweetheart, it's beautiful…it's incredible. This is the best gift we could have ever asked for." Phyllis hugged her tight, kissing her cheek and gripping her shoulders. "You've done an amazing job."

"Oh, this isn't all of it," Aly exclaimed. "Your gift will come later." She nudged between them, grabbing each of their hands. "Come over here and sit down." She smiled broadly. "I'll show you."


	2. Chapter 2

Phyllis and Billy took their seats as they watched Alexandra head up to the front of the room.

"Can you believe she did this?" Phyllis whispered as she leaned over towards Billy. "I mean, all of this..all on her own?"

He leaned in, kissing her cheek gently. "She's your daughter," he said softly. "Of course I can believe it."

A soft tapping on the microphone followed by the soft clearing of a throat captured their attention.

Alexandra took a deep breath, the room suddenly seeming vastly larger than it had mere moments ago. All the faces were familiar, but their eyes were all on her. They sat, staring, waiting on her to speak, expecting her to entertain them. Her voice trembled a little as she began to speak.

"Hi everyone," she said with a slight smile, beginning to feel a little more comfortable as she saw the smiles reflected back at her. She looked at her parents and saw the pride in their faces. She wanted to make them proud, but most of all she wanted them to know how much they meant to her. They had always been honest with her, but she knew there were some things that hadn't been said—moments that had been too difficult for even them to recall.

"Thank you all for coming and sharing this night with me and my parents. I wanted to do something special for them for their anniversary and I know.." She stopped, glancing down at her mother and father for a moment, not sure if what she was about to say was appropriate, but deciding to say it anyway, "I know some of you haven't always been their biggest supporters."

She saw a definite uncomfortable shift in the room. The truth wasn't always comfortable. "I wanted to do this for a few reasons…One because we've all moved on and found a way to be friends and family and Two because I want you all to see what I've always seen…what I've known since the moment I was born. My parents aren't perfect people. They've always freely admitted that. Since as far back as I can remember, I've been able to ask them anything and I knew they were being honest with me. They told me the truth—even if it wasn't always pretty or what I wanted to hear. They showed me what it meant to learn from your mistakes, to love someone despite their faults, and to be who you are no matter what other people say. They are the best parents anyone could ever ask for."

Billy leaned over, holding out a tissue, smiling softly at Phyllis as she took it from him. "I hope you've got more of these," she whispered, looking back up at her daughter.

"So tonight," Alexandra continued, "I want to tell you about these two people that you might think you know. I want to tell you about the life I've had with them and about the life they've had together. I hope you can appreciate it half as much as I have appreciated them." Smiling broadly, she pressed the button on the laptop, the first photo filling the large projection screen. "I wasn't sure where to begin," she said softly, looking over to her parents, "and then I thought—the beginning is a very good place to start."

* * *

Phyllis glanced over at Billy, one look at the photo instantly taking her back to that moment.

 _"Billy." She sighed and sat down on the side of the bed beside him, allowing her head to drop down to rest on his shoulder. "I told you, this is not a big deal."_

 _"It is a big deal. I know you. This is not the kind of wedding you've dreamed of."_

 _She smiled up at him, her eyes sparking at him in the way he loved so much. She stretched her neck just enough to brush her lips against his. "The only thing I'm dreaming about is becoming Mrs. Billy Abbott," she whispered, "I don't care where we do this or what we wear or who officiates. I just want to be your wife."_

 _He shook his head slowly. "I just wish it could be different that's all."_

 _She knew what he meant..what he really meant. Underneath the excuses about wanting to make the wedding perfect for her, part of this was about his family, about the fact that they still wouldn't even return his calls. "Billy?" She ran her fingers up his arm softly. "You know we don't have to rush into this, right? If you want to wait a bit and see if you can talk to your family some more, we can do that. It's fine. There's no reason we have to rush."_

 _"No." His voice was adamant. "I want to marry you. This isn't about my family. This wedding is about you and me and I want to marry you. I want to make that promise…I want the license and the ring and the whole thing."_

 _Her eyes beamed at him again. "Then let's do it…we can go to the courthouse like rebellious teenagers." He pulled her in tight against her, hugging her and dreaming of the moment he could legally call her his wife._

 _"That was the turn, Billy." Phyllis glanced behind her as the car continued forward. "Billy," she said again, pointing behind her. "the courthouse was back there."_

 _He smiled. "I know where the courthouse is."_

 _Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, the confused expression now morphing into an excited smile. "Billy, what did you do?"_

 _"Did you honestly think I was going to let you get married in a courthouse?" He glanced over at her, reaching for her hand and bringing it to his lips. "I've got bigger plans for us, my love."_

 _"Bigger plans, huh? Do those plans involve actual planning because I love the spontaneity and all, but I think weddings, even small weddings, require some degree of planning. We need someone to officiate and witnesses and…" Her brain began to churn with all the potential things that had to be done._

 _"This isn't my first wedding you know," he smiled, before his face turned serious. "Scratch that—that was a bad attempt at self selling."_

 _She smiled back at him, laughing softly as she saw the relieved look on his face._

 _"What I mean is you're underestimating my abilities in the area of wedding planning. I have it all under control."_

 _"You do, do you?" She raised her eyebrows, mildly impressed and largely concerned. "Am I about to walk into a wedding chapel to find a leather jacket wearing minister and a motorcycle gang to serve as witnesses?"_

 _"That depends," he said with a smile, sighing as the car came to a stop. "What do you think?"_

* * *

"I obviously wasn't around for this part," Alexandra smiled, "but I've heard all the stories. Dad surprised Mom by planning this really sweet outdoor wedding near Lake Michigan at a little bed and breakfast. The ceremony was in a garden because he knew how much Mom loved fresh flowers. It was just the two of them, the witnesses, and a minister. There aren't many pictures but I did find this one." She pointed up to the screen.

"I remember when Dad first showed me this picture he said, 'Aly, it wouldn't have mattered if there had been two hundred people there. The only person I could see was your mother.' "

She smiled as she looked back down at her parents. "That's the kind of love I want to have one day."


	3. Chapter 3

"When I first realized I wanted to do this, I didn't think about how hard it would be to talk about the memories I didn't actually remember." Alexandra smiled at her parents as she pressed the button on the laptop and next set of images flashed onto the screen.

"While I don't have actual memories of these moments, obviously, I do remember being a little girl and how much I loved flipping through photo albums. These pictures were always some of my favorites because, like most kids, I loved stories that revolved around me and I could always tell how much Mom and Dad loved telling me about it. It was always very important to them that I knew how much I was wanted and how much I was loved from the very moment they knew I existed. I always knew and I never doubted it..not for a second."

Billy glanced over at Phyllis. It seemed like just yesterday he'd been sitting beside her in that doctor's office…

* * *

 _"You okay?" He put his hand on her leg, applying gentle pressure to try and stop the shaking._

 _She smiled back at him nervously, her face flushing a bit. "Sorry," she whispered. "I know you want me to relax, but I just can't help being a little anxious."_

 _"Don't apologize." His hands were warm and comforting as the stroked her lower back. "I just don't want you to worry so much. The tech said everything looked fine."_

 _"Then why did she go get the doctor?" Phyllis could feel her pulse rate increasing as she tried not to think the worse._

 _"They always bring the doctor in for measurements. You know that." He smiled gently at her again, understanding she was more frustrated with herself than he could ever be with her._

 _Phyllis sighed, feeling some of the tension leave her body. "You're right. I know you're right." She smiled and leaned back as she felt his hands begin to knead into the tightened muscles of her back and shoulders. "What would I do without you?"_

 _His lips brushed her cheek. "You'll never have to find out."_

 _A quick knock on the door made Phyllis jump and both of their eyes moved quickly towards the slowly opening door. "Mr. and Mrs. Abbott?"_

 _"Hi, Dr. Owens." Phyllis forced a smile as she felt tension beginning to build again. She watched as the doctor walked over to the ultrasound screen and scribbled a few notes on the chart._

 _"Everything looks great here," she said cheerfully. "Right on track for a healthy delivery."_

 _"What did I tell you?" Billy smiled as he pulled her in closer to him for a moment. "She worries so much," he said, directing his words to the doctor._

 _"All mothers do…" The room grew still for a moment as he finished making a few notes and turned back towards them again. "Did the two of you want to know the sex of the baby?"_

 _Phyllis turned to Billy. They'd talked about waiting, but somehow now she almost wanted to know. She could see the same look in his eyes. "I'd kind of like to know." She spoke the words with a slight hesitation, fearing he might still believe the element of surprise was best._

 _"Me too." His smile lit up the room and she felt her heart flutter. His smile could still make her feel like everything would be okay._

 _She nodded and turned towards the doctor, her eyes shining with anticipation as she felt Billy's hand take hers and squeeze._

* * *

 _"Are you disappointed?" She stared up at him as they walked to the car. "You've been pretty quiet since we left the doctor's office?"_

 _She felt him stop immediately, his body turning towards hers. "What? Why would you think that?"_

 _"Well, I mean…I know you were maybe hoping for a boy…so you could do the baseball, fishing…"_

 _His fingers touched her lips, pressing them closed as his eyes stared into hers. The intensity of the stare stunned her into silence and she felt the warmth of his arms encircle her as he pulled her closer to him. He held her close for a moment before pulling back. "The only thing I'm thinking about right now is how lucky I am…and how I'm a little frightened about being outnumbered by a little girl that I'm hoping is just like you."_

 _"You're a smooth talker."_

 _"You love it," he grinned. His lips brushed hers for a moment. "I do have to warn you though…our daughter is going to play baseball, and probably fish, and play in the dirt, and probably ride motorcycles…"_

 _"I draw the line at motorcycles." Phyllis glanced up at him, the worries from moments ago now well in the past. The thought of building a life and a future with this man brought her nothing but absolute joy._

* * *

"Billy…Billy, look." Phyllis' voice jarred him back into reality and he was instantly transported back into the present where he saw exactly what she was pointing at. It was a picture that sat on their mantle. He saw it every day, but now as he saw it reflected alongside the young woman as she spoke, it nearly took his breath away. Where had all the years gone? It seemed like only yesterday they were in the hospital, waiting for her arrival. One look at Phyllis' face and he knew she was having the same thoughts. He watched as she blinked back tears, both of them staring at the photo of the baby girl in the bassinet all wrapped up in the pink blanket. She looked satisfied from the moment she was born, as if she knew she'd found a place where she was wanted, loved, and safe—where nothing, and no one would ever be more important than her.

Alexandra's voice rang out through the room again. "I used to ask to hear the story of the day I was born all the time. Mom and Dad both had very different versions, and both insisted theirs was the real one. "


	4. Chapter 4

"The stories always started about the same. Mom was hoping for a drama-free delivery and Daddy just wanted everyone happy and healthy, so when Mom went into labor two weeks early, it kind of threw the entire plan off course. Mom says everything was fine and Daddy was just being a worrywart, but Daddy insists that Mom was worried too—she just didn't want to admit it."

A light squeeze to his hand made him glance over at her and her saw her smile at him. Since the moment the photo flashed onto the screen, he'd been holding his breath—much like he had on that day almost fifteen years ago…

* * *

 _He heard the faint sound of her voice calling his name as he finished folding back the bedspread and replacing the pillows. "Just a second," he called back, smiling to himself as he glanced back into the room before closing the door. It had become his mission to ensure Phyllis did as little as possible during these last few weeks of her pregnancy._

 _Though the doctor had insisted there was no real reason for alarm, her blood pressure had been slightly elevated at their last visit, and he'd suggested she 'take it easy'. Phyllis, of course, had interpreted that as longer work lunches, but he had other ideas. They'd found a happy medium when she'd agreed they'd both work from home so he could help her around the house. It wasn't easy helping someone who was so fiercely independent, but his stubborn nature was beginning to wear away at her._

 _He wore a satisfied smile on his face as he descended the stairs, expecting to find her on the couch with a cup of tea or sitting at the table in front of her laptop. Instead, he saw her standing beside the kitchen island, a strange expression on her face._

 _"You okay?"_

 _"Don't freak out, okay?" She stared at him with wide eyes. He could now see her hand was gripping the granite top of the island as she stood there, frozen in place. "I think I might be in labor."_

 _It was like a punch in the gut. It was too early—this wasn't supposed to happen for two weeks. They had another two weeks. They had just been at the doctor's office. His eyes darted across the room. The bag…where was the bag? Had they packed the bag? Did they even have a damn bag?_

 _"Billy?" Her voice trembled a bit. "You're freaking out, aren't you?"_

 _"I'm not freaking out." Lies, lies, lies. Every cell in his body was freaking out. This was a public service announcement for freaking out. But he couldn't let her see that. Not now. Not when she needed him to be strong for her. He closed his eyes for a moment, drawing in a deep cleansing breath—much like the breaths the instructor had taught them about in the classes, though he was fairly certain they were intended for the mother-to-be._

 _His eyes fell on her standing there starting at him. "Sorry," he muttered, suddenly realizing she was standing in front of him in labor. "Here..Can you sit? I'll go get the bag and I'll call the hospital and let them know we're coming and…"_

 _She pressed her lips closed as she watched him dart around the room aimlessly. A smile crept across her lips and she couldn't keep a soft giggle from escaping her lips._

 _Billy turned, his eyes narrowing. "What?"_

 _"It's nothing…It's just." She put her hand on his arm. "The bag is by the door, remember? And I already called the hospital..right after I called for you to come down." She could see his shoulders relax slightly as he sat down beside her on the couch._

 _"You did?" He nodded. "Okay, so that's done and the bag's there, so what else?"_

 _"Well, I would like to go to the hospital," she grinned. "I'm pretty sure it would ruin the sofa."_

* * *

 _He glanced over at her in the car as he drove as fast as he safely could. His head was spinning as he thought of everything that could possibly go wrong. It didn't make sense. He'd spent the entire pregnancy reassuring Phyllis that everything would be fine, promising her that they were going to have a happy, healthy baby girl and now, the time was here and he was the one falling to pieces. His eyes drifted over to her again as she sat so calm and still in the seat beside him._

 _"You okay?" he asked again, afraid he was annoying her with his constant questioning, but more afraid that by not asking he might miss an issue or problem._

 _"I'm okay." She smiled, reaching over and touching his shoulder reassuringly. "It's going to be fine."_

 _"That's supposed to be my line."_

 _"It has been your line…for months now. You've got to let me have a turn sometimes, huh?" She felt the contraction building. Try as she might she couldn't hide the pain on her face._

 _"What?" His eyes darted quickly from the rode to her face. "What is it, Phyllis? You okay?"_

" _Yeah…Yeah..it's just another contraction. I'm okay." She took a deep breath as she felt the pain and pressure subside and she relaxed against the cool leather of the seat. "It's going to be fine," she whispered. "We're going to do this the way I wanted…a calm, drama-free birth. No elevators, no snowstorms…nothing…a hospital, a doctor…like normal people."_

 _Billy smiled at the notion. "Imagine that…us acting like normal people. It must be a full moon or something." He rolled to a stop in front of the hospital valet, walking around to her door to help her out. He helped her in a wheelchair before kneeling in front of her. "You ready to do this? You ready to go meet our daughter?"_

* * *

Phyllis swallowed hard as she listened to her daughter speak. It was hard to believe it had been nearly fifteen years since she'd first held her in her arms.

* * *

 _She lay back against the pillows, the pain in her lower back becoming almost unbearable. There was no comfortable position. "Billy?"_

 _He was at her side in second. "Yeah, what do you need?"_

 _"Can you see if you can shift the pillow a little lower?" She leaned forward, the pain evident on her face._

 _"Try that."_

 _A sigh escaped her lips as she found it made little difference. "Where is the doctor?" She glanced over at the monitor, the baby's heartbeat a constant reassurance to her that everything was going to be fine. "I just wish he'd come by and tell us everything's fine."_

 _"What makes you think it isn't?"_

 _She could see the worry on his face and she shook her head. "Nothing..nothing makes me think that. I just mean..he could tell us where we are…what stage and maybe how much longer until she gets here." She forced a smile. Billy was worried enough for the both of them. He didn't need to know that inside she was terrified at the thought of something going wrong._

 _Eyes closed. Deep breath—Just like the instructor taught. Keeps everything nice and relaxed..until it doesn't. She could fake a smile and say all the right words but she couldn't turn off her mind. She couldn't help but worry that this would be the perfect opportunity for God to punish her. If He was looking for the way to hurt her the most…this would certainly be it._

 _"Take a little." Billy held the little pink cup close to her hand. In her mind she'd slapped it across the room at least three times. In reality, she always took it, ate a few ice chips and handed it back to him._

 _He smiled at her, his hands gently stroking her hair. "I know you're exhausted," he said softly. "You think there's any way you could sleep. I can turn off the overhead light."_

 _Phyllis sighed, shaking her head. "No. I can't get comfortable." She shifted around again, pulling at the pillow behind her head and groaning in frustration. "It's been almost twelve hours and nothing has happened. Maybe she doesn't want to be born."_

 _"I'm sure that's not it. You heard the doctor. He said he doesn't think it'll be much longer now."_

 _"Yeah, he said that the last two times he's been in here." She leaned in closer to him, as if she was betraying a closely guarded secret. "I think he might say that to everyone."_

 _Billy stifled a laugh as he looked at her. "You sure you don't want me to go get a nurse and see if there's something they can give you for the pain. You've been at this for a long time now. You've proved your point…there's nothing wrong with getting something to help you relax. If it'll make you feel better and maybe help you get some rest, I think that would be good for everyone. You'll feel more rested and relaxed once the baby's born and you'll feel more like spending time with her, right?"_

 _"I don't want any drugs. I told you that. I said I was going to do this naturally and I…" She stopped, gripping the side of the bed as another contraction began to build._

 _Billy offered his hand and immediately regretted the decision as she seemed to channel the pain directly into the pressure she applied to his fingers. He stood still and silent until she finally relaxed and released her grip. "Jesus," he hissed, shaking his hand at his side._

 _"Oh, I'm sorry." She smiled slightly, actually finding some relief in knowing she'd inflicted some pain on him as well. It seemed dreadfully unfair that he'd get a daughter out of this with no real pain in the process. "Did that hurt?"_

 _He noted the raised eyebrows and challenging expression. He was nowhere near that stupid. "Not at all."_

* * *

 _Billy stood from the chair, all color draining from his face in an instant as the sound seemed to echo through the room. He opened the door to call for a nurse, but saw one already approaching._

 _Her eyes were terrified as he turned back into the room, quickly returning to her bedside and taking her hand. "What does the noise mean?" Her voice was frantic as her eyes darted from the nurse to Billy, to the doctor that had just entered the room. "What does it mean?" She still received no answer and her pleas became more desperate, the last nearly a scream, "Somebody tell me what the hell is going on, please!"_

 _"Let's just roll you on your side, okay?" The nurse gently began to move her, still not answering her question._

 _Billy could feel his own heart pounding. This couldn't be happening. Worries were supposed to just be things you obsessed over that never actually happened—they weren't supposed to be things that actually happened. This couldn't happen. He couldn't lose their daughter. He couldn't lose her. Phyllis had been so brave and so strong through all of this._

 _Phyllis searched for him in the mass of people that were gathered in the room. His eyes locked with hers and she found comfort there. She knew he was as terrified as she was. Even though she couldn't touch him, she couldn't feel his hands on hers nor feel his arms wrapping around her, she knew he was with her in every way that mattered. Her words came out in a shaky, breathy rush. "Please tell me what's going on."_

 _This time it was the doctor that spoke. "Mrs. Abbott, we've been noticing over the past few hours that your baby's heart rate drops with every contraction. Until recently, it wasn't to a level of concern, but with this last contraction, there was a significant drop—enough to set off the monitor. In some cases this can happen with prolonged labor. We've also noticed your blood pressure is beginning to rise and it's reaching a point where we're running out of options. More importantly, we're running out of time. I don't feel comfortable allowing you to continue laboring with this type of risk involved. In my opinion, the safest course of action would be a emergency c-section."_

 _Billy closed his eyes. That was the last thing she wanted and he knew that. She'd been adamant about a natural childbirth. He walked over to the side of the bed. "Excuse me, doctor. Would it be possible for me to speak with my wife for just a moment before we make the decision?"_

 _"Of course—just please understand this situation is time sensitive. Your contractions are coming much more quickly and they are becoming more intense. We have no way of knowing what type of stress each additional contraction may pose to your baby."_

 _The tears were already beginning to fall as Billy turned back towards her. "Hey." His voice was soft as he spoke to her. Gently, he wiped away the tears that began to slide down her chin. "I don't want you to worry about this. You know the doctor is doing to do everything he can to make sure you and our baby girl come out of this healthy and happy."_

 _"I know, but I really wanted to do this…I wanted to do it without—" Even after regaining consciousness, she was still unable to describe the sensation, it was akin to what she'd imagine it would feel like if someone stabbed you in the gut and twisted, but that was the last thing she remembered._

 _"I need some help in here!" Billy screamed into the hallway. The flurry of doctors and nurses that rushed in was something he'd never be able to forget. Nor would he forget the sight of his wife and child being whisked away on a gurney into a room surrounded by curtains. He still remembered the way it felt to be pushed from the area, to try and peer through the small door window. He still remembered the way the waiting room smelled, the sterile antiseptic stench of the hospital furniture, the taste of hospital coffee, the way the fluorescent light reflected off the shiny tile floor._

 _He walked up and down those tiles until he thought he would surely climb the walls…until he saw the doors open and saw the doctor come out._

" _Congratulations. You have a beautiful baby girl."_

 _Pure, unfiltered joy marred by only a second of panic…. "And my wife, Phyllis? How's she?"_

 _The doctor smiled, happy to be able to deliver good news. "She's just fine. They're just finishing up. You can go ahead in and see her."_

 _Billy reached out, shaking his hand with gusto. "Thank you." He smiled, a smile so broad his face hurt. "Thank you," he repeated. He rushed through the door, his eyes immediately falling on hers._

 _She was clearly exhausted, but even weak and tired her eyes still seemed to sparkle just for him. "Did you see her?" she asked, her voice only slightly slurred._

 _"Not yet," he whispered. "I wanted to see you first." He took a deep breath, shaking his head to try and keep his emotions in check. "You know you scared the hell out of me."_

 _She nodded slowly, still trying to process exactly what happened. "I know, I'm sorry."_

 _His warm, soft lips brushed her forehead lightly and he saw her weak smile in return. "Don't be," he whispered. "I'm just so grateful you're okay and our little girl's okay."_

 _"They said they were just cleaning her up and they'd bring her over." Phyllis struggled to sit up, grimacing in pain. "Where is she?"_

 _"Easy." He held her still without much effort as he looked at her with concern. "I'll find out." Billy stood and turned towards the nurse. "Our baby," he said softly. "Can we see her?"_

 _The nurse nodded. "In just a moment. We're just getting her weight and measurements."_

 _Billy nodded in thanks and turned back towards Phyllis. "They're just weighing her and everything," he said, grateful he wasn't the only one who worried over every detail._

 _He pulled the small stood closer to the bed, sitting down for the first time in what felt like hours. This was the first time he'd actually been able to relax a bit, to think about how wonderful life would be now that he had the family he'd always wanted with Phyllis. "You know, I've been thinking about something."_

 _"Really?" Her eyes brightened. "What?"_

 _"It's just a thought and it's okay if you don't like it or if you want to go a complete other way or if you think it's something we need to think about and talk about together. I'm not trying to overstep or anything so.."_

 _"Billy," she giggled… "You want to tell me what it is before you try and talk me out of it?"_

 _"Well," he smiled, "It's a name…I found a name I kind of liked." She nodded for him to continue. "What do you think about Alexandra? It means brave, strong, and complete—a defender." He paused for a moment when she didn't respond. "If you don't like it, it's fine…we can find something else."_

 _"No." The word came out in an instant. "I think it's perfect and I love that you found it and picked it for her." Her eyes sparkled at him again only to glisten with tears as she saw the nurse approaching with their daughter._

 _"I think you were asking about this one?" she said with a smile as she placed the little girl in Phyllis' arms._

 _Phyllis cradled the baby against her, her tiny hands peeking out from underneath the blanket. "Hi Alexandra," she whispered, looking up at Billy. "I think it fits her," she smiled._

 _In that moment he knew he had everything he'd ever want or need—right there in that room._

* * *

Billy quickly brought his hand to his face to wipe the tears that had fallen while listening to the words his daughter said. He glanced over at his wife whose cheeks also bore tear stains. He could still remember so vividly the moment they lay Aly in Phyllis' arms—the way her tiny hands moved about and the way her big wide eyes stared up at them, but more than anything, he remembered the way he felt—how grateful he was to have everything that mattered to him within arm's reach—right there in that room.

Looking around now, he still did.


	5. Chapter 5

A chorus of 'awws' filled the room as Alexandra flipped to the next photo. She glanced at her parents before looking out at the crowd. "I don't have any real memory of this day," she admitted softly, the sight of the picture bringing a smile to her face, "but there are so many photos that I almost feel like I do. This one is one of my favorites. Things haven't always been perfect, but when so many memories of my family are of moments just like this."

Billy took a breath, finding it hard to believe this picture could have been so many years ago. The baby girl in the photo was now a young woman, speaking so eloquently in front of him. His head turned slowly to look at Phyllis, her eyes smiling back at him as their gazes met. He knew she remembered the day as vividly as he did.

* * *

 _"I think we need more balloons."_

 _Billy leaned against the back of the sofa, a small smile on his face as he watched her pace between the kitchen and the front door. "Hey," he whispered, standing and gently grabbing her arm as she whisked past him again, "You need to relax. She's one. Everything's perfect."_

 _The instant he said the words, he wished he hadn't. She was trying so hard to be upbeat, to make this a happy day, to act as if nothing was wrong—and his words just drove the harsh reality home. Her mood deflated in front of him and he cursed himself for being so stupid and insensitive. "I'm sorry," he whispered, gently reaching out to touch her face. "I didn't mean to…"_

 _"Don't be silly." Phyllis rallied, as she always did, the perfect painted on smile making a valiant return. "You're right. She's only one. She'll barely even remember this. I'm making way too big of a deal out of this." The deep breath was only slightly painful as she forced herself to take it, the lump in her throat only growing larger as she stood in front of him. "I'm just going to go check on the tent and make sure the wind hasn't blown away any of the decorations."_

 _"Phyl.." She rushed out the door before he could stop her. Billy sighed, glancing over his shoulder at the bassinet in the corner. Aly lay sleeping, her late morning nap a luxury they took full advantage of while it still lasted. He smiled as he watched her, so content and peaceful. For a moment he envied her blissful sense of calm. In her world, life was simple. He wished he could make it that way for all of them._

 _The front door shut softly behind him as he walked outside , pulling the monitor close to his ear to make sure it was on. His eyes searched the front yard for Phyllis. She sat in a folding chair underneath the tent, her back to the door. He didn't need to get any closer to know she was crying._

 _Were it anyone else, he might have felt the need to talk about it, to rationalize the feelings, to give them a voice, but that wasn't necessary with her. He knew what she was thinking and feeling—sometimes even before she did. They had that connection._

 _Her head lifted as she heard his footsteps. No words needed to be said. He simply sat down in the chair next to her and pulled her in close to him. That was enough._

* * *

 _They stayed that way for a only a few moments before Phyllis abruptly pulled away. "Did you feel that?"_

 _Billy grinned, his eyebrows arching slightly. "Uh…"_

 _Phyllis slapped him playfully. "I'm serious," she countered. "That." She stood, looking up. "Oh no..no..no…"_

 _"What?" Billy stood, standing beside her completely confused._

 _"Rain…it's raining, Billy. We've got to get this stuff in the house."_

 _Billy grabbed the tabletop decorations and a few signs before wrapping the strings of a bundle of balloons around his wrist and heading towards the front door. He looked back at Phyllis. "What about the cake?"_

 _"I'll get the cake. You just get the decorations inside."_

* * *

 _"Would you just sit down and let me look at it?"_

 _"I don't want to sit down, Billy!" She tempered her voice only because Aly was still sleeping, but nothing could temper the tears that streamed down her face. "I ruined everything!"_

 _"You did not ruin everything." His words were soft as he gently lifted her leg to rest on the coffee table. "Are you sure you didn't hurt yourself?"_

 _"I'm sure. I'm fine. I just destroyed the cake and my daughter's first birthday."_

 _"Babe, you did not destroy Aly's birthday. She's not even going to remember this. French fries would be a party for her." Billy sat down beside her on the couch. His arm snaked around her as he felt her head drop to his shoulder._

 _"That's not the point," she whispered. "It's just…" She stopped, not wanting to make him feel any worse about the situation than he already did. There was no point in both of them wallowing in guilt._

 _"You wanted to make today special since there wasn't anyone here to celebrate with her…" Billy finished her thought for her. He'd known what she had been thinking for weeks, since she first started talking about the elaborate plans for Aly's first birthday. While it would have made sense if there were going to be an actual party, he'd questioned the purpose of all this when it was just the three of them, but then he realized….that was the purpose. There was no party and for all they knew, there might never be. They had to be enough for her and if it killed them, they would be._

 _Sometimes it was a little bit scary how well he knew her. "How did you know?"_

 _He smiled. "I know you, remember. You don't have to tell me…I just know." Leaning in closer to her, he brushed his lips against her forehead, before moving to stand. "And, on that note, I've got to run out for a minute."_

 _Phyllis stilled. "Wait, what? Where are you going?"_

 _"You'll see," he grinned. "You just wait right here…I'll be back before Aly wakes up."_

 _She started to argue, then thought better of it. He never failed to surprise her and somehow he always made things better. It was past time she started trusting that._

* * *

 _"I can't believe you did this," she smiled, as she put the wax number 1 on the cupcake. "I'm not going to light it, I don't think. She looks a little too eager."_

 _Billy nodded as he grinned at the look of anticipation in Aly's eyes as he readied the camera to take the picture. "Alright, ready." He hurried over to stand behind the high chair, wrapping an arm around Phyllis as he sat the cupcake in front of their daughter. The camera clicked, capturing the moment._

 _"Did you set it to keep taking?" Phyllis asked._

 _Billy nodded._

 _Aly hands were almost instantly covered in icing which led to her face and hair in fairly short order. The camera continued to flash, catching candid shots. Phyllis laughed at the contented sounds of her daughter, the memory of earlier now completely gone from her mind._

 _Billy reached over, grabbing a cupcake from the box. "You know, I know I said I was fine with not having a big wedding, but there is one thing that I always wanted to do." He smiled at her, his eyes sparkling as he saw the realization on her face._

 _"Don't you dare!" She spun around, grabbing a cupcake and attempting to land the first blow._

* * *

 _"Oh, honey," Phyllis cooed, as she stepped over towards Billy, "you have icing up your nose."_

 _"No kidding? Wonder how that happened?"_

 _She grinned as she patted his face with the wet cloth._

 _"You know," he joked, "I bet we could market this fragrance. It would kill with the tween crowd."_

 _Phyllis laughed softly. "I'll bet."_

 _Billy walked to the sink, letting the warm water cover his hands for a moment, before drying them off and turning towards Phyllis again. "You know I'm sorry today didn't turn out the way you wanted."_

 _She stared at him, shocked. "What do you mean?"_

 _"Well, I mean, I know you had a certain idea of the perfect day and this wasn't exactly…"_

 _Her arms were around him before he could finish his sentence. He looked down to see her eyes sparkling as they looked up into his. "Don't you ever think that," she whispered. "Today was everything I could ever want. It was perfect. We were all here together and we were happy…that's everything."_

* * *

"We always had cupcakes for my birthday…never cake. It was like our little tradition. When I was a little bit older, they told me the story and I really understood it. It made sense and it was like this special, little inside joke that we all shared with each other…and now all of you."

Aly paused as the crowd laughed. She looked right at them as she spoke. "So tonight, when I was trying to decide on the desserts, I thought we'd go with cupcakes so you'd know I remember…I remember all the little things you did to make my life special."

Billy looked over at Phyllis curling his finger to beckon her closer. She leaned in. "You better be glad we're in public," he whispered. "You'd be wearing this."

She smiled. They all remembered.


	6. Chapter 6

"When I first decided I wanted to do this, I decided to pull down some of the photo albums to look for pictures. What I didn't realize was that some of the albums were actually scrapbooks, pages upon pages of pictures complete with handwritten journal entries. One particular page really caught my eye." Aly pressed the button, the two images quickly coming into focus on the screen.

She smiled at her parents who were already beginning to giggle. "Christmas was always a big deal in our house. Mom and Dad always made it special, but this particular Christmas apparently went a little sideways. I know this because the title of the page was "The Christmas of Misses" When I found this page, I asked Mom about it, as casually as I could of course, and she told me a pretty great story.

Billy leaned close to her, his hand lightly brushing her arm, "You remember that Christmas?" he smiled.

She smiled. "One of the best," she whispered.

* * *

 _Billy stood back, watching her as she stood in front of him, her eyes fixed on the tree. "What do you think?" he whispered, walking up behind her and snaking his arms around her waist._

 _"It's perfect," she grinned, leaning back against his chest and stretching up to kiss his cheek. "It's absolutely perfect. It's exactly what I wanted it to be. Aly will love it…seeing it all lit up with all the presents."_

 _"All the presents…" He laughed, as he gestured around the room. "Did you leave anything at any of the stores? Look at all this."_

 _She flopped on the couch beside him, her head falling down on his shoulder. "I know, but I just want this Christmas to be special for her. Last Christmas we didn't get to do all the things we wanted because of all the snow and this year I just want her to get to experience everything. I want us to get to experience everything with her. I want to get up tomorrow morning and take her to see Santa and get the perfect picture and then tomorrow night we'll make Christmas cookies for Santa and…_

 _She stopped as his body quaked with laughter. "Hey…what's the laughing about? You don't think I can make Christmas cookies? They have them in a roll now, you know? How hard can that be?"_

 _"It still involves the oven, my love. And uh…Santa prefers edible cookies."_

 _"You know what…just for that.." Phyllis slid forward, moving to stand, her lips curling into a smile as she felt his arms wrapping around her, pulling her back towards him._

 _"I'm kidding…I'm kidding…" His soft laughter seemed to echo through the room and she let her body lean back against him then, pulling her legs up onto the couch, her head now resting against his chest. It seemed almost impossible to be this content, especially in the craziness that usually surrounded the holidays, but she was. Never before in her life could she remember being so completely and totally happy. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, happy to see the relaxed smile on his face as well._

 _His fingertips trailed through her hair as she lay there, the sensation causing her eyelids to flutter. "It's pretty late," he whispered, his eyes staring directly into hers, "The gifts are wrapped already. We can arrange them under the tree tomorrow."_

 _"I guess we could." She smiled, not missing the inherent suggestion in his tone. "But I thought I might need to stay up and practice since I've been informed my baking skills are not good."_

 _She yelped as he stood and, with a huge grin, lifted her off the couch. He leaned down to kiss her quickly. "That may be true," he smiled, "but you've got other skills that more than make up for it."_

* * *

 _"Don't come in here, Billy!" She stared in the mirror. No amount of makeup was going to fix this. "What in the hell?" she hissed, as she leaned in closer to the mirror, pressing a finger against the puffy pillows that used to resemble eyelids._

 _"Phyllis?" He knocked on the door again. "Is everything okay? You've been in there a really long time."_

 _She sighed, taking another look in the mirror. She might as well open the door. It wasn't as if she could hide in here all day. With a deep breath, she slowly turned the handle on the door._

 _Pure horror—that was the look._

 _"Wait…Wait.." Billy pushed his hand against the door as she moved to shut it again._

 _"No," she whined. "No. I saw your face. You cringed. You physically cringed."_

 _"I'm sorry. I just…I wasn't expecting that…what's wrong? What happened?" He stepped slowly into the bathroom, moving in closer to get a better look at her face. Her eyes were almost swollen shut, the lids puffed up and red. "Is it pinkeye or something?"_

 _She sniffled. "I don't know. I feel like my head is going to explode. My sinuses are killing me. My throat's raw. I'm miserable and it's Christmas Eve, Billy."_

 _"It's okay." He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her. "Everything's gonna be fine. Maybe it's just a cold. We'll get you some medicine and some hot tea…fix you right up."_

 _"Uh..don't get close to me. I'll infect you too."_

 _He shook his head as he lightly pressed his lips to her forehead. "No fever," he smiled. "That's a good sigh…and if being close to you is a risk, I'll just have to take my chances. Now come downstairs and we'll get you on the couch with some tea, ok?"_

 _Phyllis nodded. She didn't have the strength to fight this morning._

* * *

 _"How's the tea?" Billy pulled her feet into his lap as he leaned back against the sofa._

 _"Good," she whispered, forcing a smile for him as she watched Aly happily playing with a peg puzzle in the corner. "I just don't know what it is…My whole face just itches..and my eyes..God…I feel like I could literally claw them out of my head…I…." She stopped, staring across the room. "Wait a minute…"_

 _Billy watched as she stood, sitting her tea on the coffee table and walking over to the tree. She leaned in close to the branches, breathing in the scent of the pine needles and pulling away sharply. He jumped a bit as she whirled around._

 _"The tree…"_

 _"What?"_

 _He took a few steps closer, before realizing what she meant. "Oh," he sighed…"The real tree…we didn't have a real tree last year.."_

 _She shook her head, her face falling._

 _"Hey, don't worry about it…" Gently, he brushed a strand of hair away from her face as he moved his hand down to rub her shoulder. "It's not a big deal. She doesn't care if it's a real tree or not. We'll get an artificial one."_

 _"On Christmas Eve, Billy? You really think we're gonna find a decent tree on Christmas Eve?"_

 _"Sure we will. I'm sure lots of stores have trees still for sale and there still open for last minute gift buyers. It's not a problem. I'll get this thing out of here and I'll go get us another tree and before you know it, you won't even know anything happened."_

 _"We don't have time for that," Phyllis protested. "We're supposed to take Aly to see Santa today and we have to get the presents under the tree and everything and we're taking her to see the Christmas lights and I'm going to make Christmas cookies for Santa tonight if it kills me!"_

 _Billy glanced around the room, his eyes lighting up suddenly. "Stay right here."_

 _Phyllis watched him as he ran towards the kitchen. She could hear the movement of something shifting and she couldn't help but laugh as she saw him return to the living room carrying a large ficus. "What on earth?" she smiled._

 _"It's not the most traditional tree in the world," he smiled, "but we're not the most traditional people. I say we ditch the tree of death here and we start our own little tradition of the Festive Ficus."_

 _Even as terrible as she felt, she couldn't stop smiling. She wrapped her arms tight around him and whispered, "This Christmas is shaping up to the best the best one yet."_

* * *

"And even though I knew what we had the 'Festive Ficus' every year instead of a tree, I'd never heard the rest of the story…and the rest of the story turned out to be my favorite part. You see after Mom and Dad finished decorating the tree, we still had an agenda: Santa, lights, and cookies…and that was just Christmas Eve."


	7. Chapter 7

Two more pictures flashed onto the screen much to the delight of the crowd. "As you can see," Aly continued, this Christmas wasn't exactly working out as anyone had planned…

* * *

 _Billy held the door open, lifting his arm higher so that Phyllis could drag the stroller inside. Aly was fast asleep, her head thrown over her shoulder, her face still rosy red from the chilly air and, in all probability, the tears. Phyllis eased her onto the couch, standing still and staring at her for a moment before whirling around and staring at him as she heard a stifled laugh._

 _"You can't be serious…"_

 _"Oh, come on…" He stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him. Softly, he pressed his lips against her temple. "How can you be upset about this? Look at her—she's happy and healthy and we're here—we're together." He heard her sigh and he knew she agreed in theory. He also knew this conversation was far from over._

 _Phyllis turned to face him. "I know," she sighed, "and I am grateful. I'm grateful for all those things, but it just seems like this entire Christmas is falling apart again." She leaned down, grabbing the photo from the bag. "Look at this, Billy." She held the photo out to him, finding it hard to keep from smiling herself as she looked at it. "You'd think we were torturing her. Even the poor Santa looks traumatized."_

 _"The girl definitely has some lungs on her," Billy smiled, "but you gotta admit, that's a great picture..and it'll be perfect on her senior yearbook page some day."_

 _"I guess." She looked up, her eyes finding his-seeking the comfort she always found there. "I think I was just hoping this would be that perfect Christmas…the one that everyone wants…the one where she was happy and we got to experience everything together as a family."_

 _"Who says we can't have that, huh? In fact, aren't we having that already? We did the Santa thing…and while it may not have been the most magical experience in the world for her, I'm betting it's an experience that neither one of us will ever forget."_

 _Phyllis nodded._

 _"And we took her to see the lights."_

 _"Correction—we saw the lights while she screamed because of that light up Santa. I think she thought we were going to hand her off again."_

 _"She only screamed for a little while…then she fell asleep." He laughed softly as he pulled her into a gentle hug. "Listen—it's not about making the perfect memories…it's just about making the memories. The good news is she's sleeping so that gives us some time to get these gifts under the tree. Then, I seem to remember something about Christmas cookies."_

 _Her eyes shot to attention. "Really? You want me to attempt cooking after this disaster of an evening…you really want to tempt fate like that?"_

 _"I ain't scared," he smiled._

* * *

 _Billy grinned as he entered the kitchen. "Is this new?" he whispered, walking up behind her and toying with the strings of the apron._

 _"It is not new I'll have you know. I've had this for a few years…I've just never had the opportunity to wear it until now, right Aly?"_

 _Aly's eyes sparkled with excitement as she stood on the stool beside her mother. She nodded happily as she held up her own apron that Phyllis had purchased for her earlier in the week._

 _"Look at you." Billy leaned down, picking her up and lifting her quickly for a kiss on the cheek before placing her back on the stool. "You look like the perfect little chef in training."_

 _Phyllis laughed. "Let's keep our expectations realistic," she smiled. "Alright, Aly, you ready to make some cookies?"_

 _Aly shook her head. "No."_

 _"What do you mean, sweetie. You were so excited about helping Mommy make treats for Santa." He looked up at Phyllis, seeing the disappointment on her face._

 _"No cookies," Aly repeated._

 _"But Aly," Billy protested._

 _"Hey, it's okay." Phyllis leaned down beside her, gently stroking her hair. "It's been a long day, huh? You tired? Ready to go to bed?"_

 _"No. Santa wants macaroni."_

 _"Macaroni? You don't want to make cookies because you want to make macaroni?" Billy looked up at Phyllis, who was now barely containing her laughter._

 _"Yep," Aly chirped as if there was nothing strange about her request._

 _"Well, alright then." Phyllis turned around to face the cabinets. "Let's hope I have some macaroni in this house."_

* * *

 _Phyllis barely lifted her head off the arm of the sofa as she heard his soft footsteps descending the stairs. "She out?"_

 _"Like a light," he said softly, gently lifting her legs and taking a seat beside her before placing her legs back in his lap. "I took the liberty of disposing of the Santa snack," she grinned._

 _"I would have eaten it," he smiled. "It seriously wasn't that bad."_

 _"It was disgusting, Billy. Who knew there was such a difference between evaporated and condensed milk?"_

 _"If I didn't before, I do now." He grimaced, thinking back to the taste that still lingered slightly on his tongue._

 _She lifted her foot, letting it fall on his lap and giggling when he winced. "You said it wasn't that bad."_

 _"Yeah, well…I might have been trying to stay in your good graces."_

 _Phyllis smiled. "You better be glad you're cute."_

* * *

 _"I hope you're getting pictures of this." Phyllis turned around, happy to see Billy snapping countless shots of their daughter as she threw strips of wrapping paper around from the magical world of her cardboard box._

 _She walked to stand beside him. "At least she's enjoying herself," she shrugged._

 _Billy nodded, putting his arms around her shoulder. "I'm sure she's gonna love all the gifts, babe. It's just all the excitement right now." He'd been a bit worried when Aly showed little interest in her presents, choosing instead to traipse through the discarded paper and bows like she was in a bouncy castle, but Phyllis had taken things surprisingly well._

 _He smiled down at her. Every day he found a new reason to be grateful for this life and this family and today was certainly no exception. Today he was grateful for the chaos, for the noise, for the mistakes, and the unexpected challenges. He was grateful for anything life threw his way because as long as he had his girls, he could face anything._

* * *

Aly cleared her throat before continuing. "It's funny because we've never been a traditional family. In fact that's something my parents always told me—'you never have to do things the way everyone else does them. Be yourself. Do things your way. Live your life on your terms.' They were really big on that, but for some reason , there were some traditions that were really, really important to us. That's why every year at Christmas, we'll always have our Festive Ficus, we'll always ride around to look at Christmas lights, and we'll always make macaroni and cheese on Christmas Eve."


End file.
